Well head



Oct. 8, 1935. I A J PENICK AL 2,016,454

WELL HEAD Filed May 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 muliw w NM 4 Oct. 8, 1935. A. J. PENICK EI'AL WELL HEAD Filed May 25, 1931 7 -15 Sheets-Sheet '2 /D 5 Lv 3 a A 7 3 E E 3 1: :4 I W yr F. E c... Z 6 1 Z 6 M v 5 Z Z IIEI a ll/[Alli 7 m ig 7 H.

-8,1935 A@J.PE-.; Em 0 6, 54

WELL HEAD Filed May 25, 19:51 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 8, i935 WELL HEAD Arthur J. Penick and Kirby T. Penick, Houston, Tex.

Application May 25, 1931, Serial No. 539,841

14 Claim.

10 incorporated therein above the upper end of the supported tubing, whereby the well may be closed in case strong internal pressure is encountered or whenever it may be desired to close the well against the' outward flow of fluid from the well up through the head, for example for the purpose of making repairs or replacements to the fittings above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a well head of the character described having a Christmas tree or other similar pipe connection mounted to swivel thereon about an approximately vertical axis so that said Christmas tree or other connections may be positioned and secured in any desired position.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision, in a well head, of novel means for supporting a tubing in the well, said means forming a fluid tight joint with the tubing and with the head, so that there will be no flow of fluid from within the casing above the tubing suspending means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a well head of the character described having removable means therein for suspending and anchorin the'tubing in the well, said head having an inside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the casing or'pipe to which the head is attached to the end that when said tubing suspending means and tubing are removed from the head the head will provide ample room for carrying on operations therethrough in the well.

. It is another object'of the invention to provide a well head assembly with the tubing connected thereto and with flow lines leading therefrom in such manner that the fluid from the casing and tubing may be taken off separately.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, examples of which are described in this specification and illustrated in the accom- 55 the head shown partly in section.

Figure 2'shows a fragmentary side view of another form of the head shown partly in section.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary side view partly in section, of still another type.

I Figure 4 shows an enlarged horizontal sectional view of a type of suspending means employed. taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 shows a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 shows an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a slightly modified type of the form shown in Figure 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate 16 similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral l designates the pipe or casing in a well bore. Attached to the upper end of said pipe preferably by means of a coupling 2 there is the main, tubular, body 3, connected to the upper end of which 20 there is a slip bowl 4' whose upper ends supports a gate valve 4 having the swivel adapter 5 attached to the upper end thereof. The bowl 4' hasan internal, downwardly converging seat 6' in which may be located the downwardly tapering slips 1 forming a tubing hanger and the inner faces of these slips maybe provided with tubing engaging teeth 8 adapted to engage around the tubing 9 to be supported on the slips 1. There is a gland composed of upper and lower annular plates 26' 21' with a packing ring 28' between them, said gland fitting closely around the tubing. A ring nut ll may be threaded into the upper end of the bowl 4 against the upper plate 26' to secure the gland and slips in place and to expand the packing ring 28' outwardly against the surrounding walls of the bowl 4' and inwardly around the tubing 9 to form fluid tight joints.

Upon the swivel adapter 5 .there is 'a top outlet union l2 whose lower end is enlarged as at 0 l3 and on said enlarged portion is an annular, loose, flange which is retained in place by the set bolts l6 through said ring and screwed into the swivel adapter 5 and whose ends have the heads I6 which engage the flange H.

The lower end of the union l2 and the upper end of the adapter 5 have the facing annular grooves I1, I 8 in which is seated a suitable sealing ring [9 to form tight join-tsin said grooves.

A suitable connection such as a Christmas tree 50 20 having the lateral branches 2|, 2| and the upstanding branch 22, may be connected to said union [2, said branches being equipped with suitable control valves 23. Any other type of connection than that shown may be connected to the union l2. In case it be desired to adjust said Christmas tree or other connection about a vertical axis, the bolts l5 may be loosened and the desired adjustment accomplished and said bolts again tightened. The fluid flowing upwardly from the well may flow up through the tubing 9 and on up through the swivel adapter Ii and through the connection attached to the union l2.

The tubing in the well may be readily removed by detaching the swivel adapter 5 and the appendants thereof and by removing the ring nut ll.

Beneath the seat 6' the body 3 has a flow line 24 through which fluid outside of the tubing 9 may be relieved from the well and the line 24 may be controlled by a suitable valve 25.

In the form shown in Figure 2 the valve 4 is connected directly to the body 9' and said body has an internal seat 8 beneath the valve 4 and which preferably converges downwardly. In this type there is a tubing-hanger seated with the body 3' and resting on said seat, said hanger being in the form of a gland composed of the upper and lower plates 26, 21 with the packing ring 28 between them. In this form the upper end of the tubing 9 extends through said gland and has a coupling 29 thereon which rests on said upper plate 26 to support the tubing 9. The gland is secured in place by means of a ring nut 30 which is screwed in the body 3' against the plate 26. The weight of the tubing 9 on said gland w ll expand the packing ring 28 both against the inner wall of the body 3" and against the tubing 9 and form fluid tight Joints with said body and tubing. In other respects the form shown in Figure 2 is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1.

' In Figure 3 there is shown another type of body and still another form of the means for suspending the tubing 9 from and securing the same to the body, which will now be described:--In this form the body 3! has an internal annular chan nel 32 above the flow line 24 and beneath the valve .4. In this channel there is seated an ex-,

a bearing 39 in the ring 35 and in alignment with an external socket 49 in said section. A coil spring 4i surrounds each rod 38 and bears at one end against the bottom of the groove 39 and at its other end against the corresponding bar 31. In each form a connection for an additional flow line is provided and shown as being closed by the bull plug 24'.

In assembling when it is desired to seat the support 33 in the channel 32 the sections 34 of said support may be contracted together by any suitable implement provided for the purpose and lowered into the body 3| with the springs 4i compressed and when said support is landed in.

its prop 1r position, it may be released and the springs 4! will expand said sections of the support outwardly into position in the channel 32. The tubing 9 may then be lowered into the well with the tubular nipple 42 connected to the un-v per end thereof and forming the hanger therefor. The upper end of this nipple has a flange 43 which seats on an annular packing ring 44 around said nipple and on the support 33 and this packing forms a seal between said nipple 42 and the body 3|. In this form oi the device the valve 4 is shown connected into the body beneath by means of a tubular nipple 43 which is screwed into said body 31 and there is a tubular gland 46 threaded through a sectional nut 41 and whose lower end abuts the upper end oi! the nipple 42 to retain the same in place. The nut 41 is constructed in all essential particulars like the support 33 shown in Figure 4 but has the internal threads so that the gland 46 may be threaded therethrough.

, 16 In case it be desired to remove the tubing 9 for further operations in the well or for any other purpose the connections above the valve 4 may 1 be removed and the gland 46 unscrewed from be contracted and withdrawn through the nipple 45. The tubing 9 may then be withdrawn from the well in the manner hereinabove indicated and the support 33 contracted and removed. When this is done, operations in the well may then be carried on through the body 3i which has a large inside diameter substantially the same as the inside diameter of the well casing I. In this form of the apparatus the body 3| may be screwed directly onto the upper end of the well casing I if desired, as shown.

The form shown in Figure 6 is a slight modification of the form shown in Figure 3, wherein the nut 41 is seated in the channel 32 of the body 3|. In this form the gland 46 is threaded through the nut 47 and its upper end forms a s pport for the packing ring 44 which in turn supports the flange 43 of the hanger nipple 42 in this form when the tubing 9 and the supporting means therefor are removed from the body operations may be carried on through said body as hereinabove explained. Q

It is to be noted that in the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 the coupling 29 is internally threaded at its upper end and in the other forms shown the hanger nipple 42 is internally threaded. Provision is thus made for lowering and withdrawing the tubing9. A joint of pipe or tubing above may be threaded into said coupling 29 or hanger nipple 42 and used in the operations of'elevating and lowering the tubing.

The hanger nipple 42, as will be noted, is provided with two sets of threads 48, and 49, which are similar but of different diameter in order to .receive tubing of different sizes.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A well head having an inside groove, an expansible seat in the groove for supporting a tubing, means on the seat and attached to the tubing for supporting said tubing from said seat, an inside abutment in the head above the seat, and means between the abutment and tubing supporting means, and having a threaded connection with the former for locking the latter in position.

2. A well head having a lower and an upper abutment, a radially expansible, removable support on the lower abutment, means attached to, and supporting, a tubing on said support and vertically adjustable means between the upper abutment and tubing supporting means for locking the latter in position.

3. A well head having internal channels, one above the other, an expansible support seated and locked in one of said channels, an expansible retainer in the other channel, and means on the support beneath said retainer for suspending a tubing.

4. A well head having an inside abutment. an

expansible support on said ,abutment, means on said support for suspending a tubing, an expansible nut anchored in the head above said tubing suspending means and a retainer threaded through said nut and securing the tubing suspending means in place.

5. A tubular well head adapted to be connected to a casing in a well, a valve thereon, a tubing hanger in the head, a removable support and a removable locking device tor supporting and locking the hanger in the head beneath said valve, said hanger, support and locking device being insertablegand removable through the 'valve.'

6. A tubular well head having an inside annular channel, an expansiblesupport formed oisections and mounted in and removable from said channel, a tubular tubing hanger on the support and an expansible packer around the hanger.

7. The combination with a tubular head, of a valve above the head to open and close the passageway through the head, an inside abutment beneath the valve, said head having an outlet beneath the abutment, a support formed to be contracted to allow it to be passed through the to be contracted to allow it to be passed through the valve and. being capable of being expanded to cause it to engage and land on said abutment, when so lowered and expanded, an annular packer on the support, a hanger having an external flange which rests on the packer and iromvwhich a tubing may be suspended.

9. The combination with a tubular member adapted to be set in a well and having an inside groove, of a contractile tubing support insertable, when contracted, into said tubular member, said supportbeing expansible, upon such insertion,

to engage in and be retained in position by, said 5 groove and a tubular tubing hanger on said support and having surrounding packing to form a close fitting joint with the tubular member.

10. The combination with a tubular member of approximately uniform inside diameter, of a valve incorporated therein and arranged to open and close the passageway through said member, a supporting seat in said tubular member beneath the valve and of larger. diameter than the inside diameter of said tubular member, a contractile 15 support insertable, when contracted, into said member and through said valve. said support being expansible, upon such insertion, to engage and be retained in position by said seat, an annular packing on the support and a tubing hanger 2 having a surrounding flange on the packing.

11. A tubular well head having an inside annular abutment forming a seat, a radially expansible support on said abutment, an annular packing on the support, a tubing hanger extended as through the support and having an external annular flange which rests on said packing. A

12. A tubular well head having an inside annular abutment forming a seat, a radially expansible support on said abutment. an annularpacking on the support, a tubing hanger extended through the support and having an external annular flange which fits closely within the head and rests on the said packing.

13. A tubular well head having an inside annular abutment, an annular radially expansible support on said abutment, an annular packing on the support, fitted closely within the head, a

tubular tubing hanger extended through the packing and support and having an external flange which rests on said packing, and means vertically adjustable in the upper end of the head and en gaging the upper end of the hanger, securing the same on the said packing.

14. A tubular well head having an inside annular abutment forming a seat, a radial expansible support on saidabutment, an annular packing on the support, a tubing hanger extended through the support and having an enlarged, downwardly facing shoulder which rests on said so packing.

ARTHUR J. PENICK. KIRBY '1'. PENICK. 

